1863 — Page 114

#

PUBLIC

RECORD

OFFICE

Reference :--

C.O. 133

COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON)

20 ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE

I. THE POLICE.

This body continues to be distinguished for its extreme healthiness even more markedly than in previous years. This is shewn in the following tables:

Table I. shews the admissions into and deaths in the Hospital of Members of the Police Force during every month of 1869. Table II. shews the rate per cent of Sickness and Mortality of the Force during the same year. With an average strength 25 per cent over that of 1862, the deaths in 1863 have only exceeded those of the former year by one; and the rate of sickness has little more thau reached balf of the percentage of 1802.

The men have for the most part become quite reconciled to the monthly examination for the detection of Venereal disease; and the good effects resulting from the system continue to be as marked as formerly recorded, in the smaller number of affected men and the greater facility of treating the cases of disease met with. I am glad to be able to record that there has been a great improvement in the number of impostors feigning disease to avoid disagreable duty or punishment for its neglect. The number admitted under this head amounting only to 25 in 1863 against 50 in 1862.

:

The force is well clothed and well housed, and as might be expected under such circumstances is not peculiarly liable to any special class of disense.

י

Table XII,, kindly furnished to me by Dr. Home, the Principal Military Medical Officer, gives a comparative return of the health of the Troops serving in Hongkong,

II. THE GOVERNMENT CIVIL HOSPITAL

Tables III. and VI. give the classification and result of treatment of the various patients admitted into this Hospital,· with the percentage of Mortality during the last five years.

Table IV., kindly sent me by the Resident Surgeon Dr. Adams, gives similar information in regard to the Seaman's Hos pital. It will be noticed that the death ratio in this establishment exhibits an improvement upon that of the preceding year, but any hair rate cannot be looked for until both the builling and appliances for treatment are placed upon a very different footing than they are at present. In comparing the return of this Hospital with that of the Government Civil Hospital it must not be forgotten that the patients in the former neither comprise destitutes or schemers, which, as will be seen by the tables, form a considerable item in the number admitted into the latter institution.

In the Civil Hospital the result of treatment has not been seen so successful as I should have desired. Indeed judging by statistics only, the rate of Mortality has greatly exceeded that of any year since 1853. This excess is however much more apparent than real, for a glance at the Tables will shew that the great increase may be fairly attributed in a large measure to Cholera, to which I have already referred and to starvation: two nocidental sources of mortality. Of the former there were no less than ten fatal cases, to which may be fairly added six cases of Diarrhoea, fatal at the time of the outbreak of Cholera; of the latter there were thirteen deaths, making a total of twenty-nine, which if deducted from the number recorded, reduces the rate of mortality to a not unusual average. In proof of the correctness of this view it will be seen that the increase has been principally among the Chinese; the death ratio of Europeans scarcely exceeding that of 1863, and the ratio of colored

persons being less than 1882.

It is a subject for serious consideration that thirteen persons should have died in Hospital from the effects of starvation, besides sixteen whose bodies were picked up by the Police and brought to the Hospital for examination; 20 deaths from this cause therefore of which I am cognizant, and two of the number were Europeans. With reference to the Chinese it is extremely difficult to suggest an advisable means of preventing or diminishing the frequency of a spectacle so harrowing, as any effecient relief offered to the starving mendicants would at once make this Colony the almshouse of the South of China. No similar argument applies in the case of Europeans, and I am certain that such an occurrence requires only to be painted out to be prevented for the future.

III. THE GAOL.

Table V. shows the rate of Sickness and Mortality in this establishment.

It will be noted that the death rate was less than one-half of that of the previous year. The total number of fatal cases only amounted to 12, and none of those were the result of incarceration. Most providentially, when Cholera was committing such ravages at Stone Catters' Island, and striking its victims in our crowded streets and among the taverns in Queen's Road, only a single case occurred in Victoria Gaol. An exemption more remarkable from the fact that in 1802 Cholera occurred there in a most malignant kwm and was almost entirely confined within the limits of the Chinese prison.

Since my last Heport the whole of the Chinese prisoners have been transferred to the new buildings, and the establishment is now clean, wholesome and well ventilated, in every way leading us to expect a continuance of the satisfactory sanitary condition of Victoria Gaol. This has further been improved by the removal of the Convicts, or Chinese under sentence of more than 12 months imprisonment, to Stone Cutters' Island, which has permitted the new buildings to be kept in a com- paratively uncrowded condition.

The numbers confined in Victoria Gaol during the year 1863, were 2-***

Europeans, Indians,

Total,.

521 200

.2,011

.3,491

principally during the month of August. Thus dolucting 20 from 41 we have only 15 deaths to account for. By this deduo- tion the death ratio is at once reduced within ordinary limits. I do not believe that the vessel in which the prisoners wens confined had much to do with their sickness and death. The cause must be looked for in a different quarter, and I son of opinion that it was principally due to the following circumstances:

1. Most of the prisoners had been confined in Victoria Gaol for some time before their removal to Stone Cutters' Island. They had been carefully guarded from sun, rain and any but the most wholesome diet, ma long sentence prisoners did not work on the roads.

2. On arriving at Stone Cutter's Island they were sent on shore to work and were necessarily exposed more or less to san and rain, and freely partook of the wild pineapples and sugar cane which grew abundantly on the island.

3. The work which they performed was cutting roads and turning over and levelling the soil Whether correctly otherwise, such labor was pronounced to have been a fertile cause of disease in the early days of this Colony, is supposed to have been partially so at Kowloon, and was most probally so also at Stone Cutter's Island.

The greatest care was taken to have the Hulk freely ventilated and kept clean and wholesome, and I venture in numert. that the thermometer never attained the saine alevation, nor the uzonometer never indicated the same foulness of the atmos-

phere on the lower deck of the Royal Saron, as might have been observed any night of the preceding year, in the long rooms in the okl Gaol, occupied by the same Chinese Prisoners, who were then eminently healthy.

V. THE LOCK HOSPITAL.

The results of the working of Ordinance No. 13 of 1857, by which this Institution was established continue to be very satisfactory.

Table VII, affords most instructive information on this subject.

Kor is it

It is unnecessary for me to reiterate my already frequently expressed opinion (vide previous Annual Reports) as to the importance of taking every possible means of controlling the spread of veneral disease among disciplined men, necessary for me to repeat here that I consider this disease a danger of much greater gravity to the European constitution than the climate itself. I shall limit myself to repeating that the Ordinance and the periodical examination have enabled us to effect much good in reference to the Police; and I believe that both the Military and Naval Authorities have marked the great benefit accruing to their men. The table conveys the following information: that during the six years the Ordinance has been in force 1,904 infected women have been segregated from the localities in which they could convey infection and that during a total of 5:1,077 days; or in other words, supposing that every infected woman would only convey the disease to one man during each day she was diseased, we have at least 53,977 eases of diseased prevented, or at all events 53,977 opportu nities of conveying disease have been prevented.

Table VIII. gires faller details as to the character of the diseases, and their average duration daring every month of the year 1863

In every respect the Ordinance work well and only requires extended action to effect all that could have been hoped from it by its framers.”

Table IX. is an approximative estimate of the Mortality among Foreign Residents in Hongkong during the last six years. The data from which it is compiled are furnished to me by the Registrar General as regards the Number of Residents and by the Sextons of the two Cemeteries as regards the deaths, excluding in both cases Military, and Naval and Merchant Seamen, as well as burials from the Hospitals. Supposing the data to be correct, the result is not so satisfactory in reference to the climate of Hongkong as in the previous year. It would however be unfair to omit all meation of an important piece of statistical information afforded me by the Sheriff, vix; that at least one third of the residents change every year; and it is notorious that as soon as an European becomes attacked by any climatic disease of a serious character, he leaves the country if at all able to do so. This fact must materially affect all attempts at statistical observation, still it is probable that the com parative ratio will prove tulerably near the truth, as this exodus of the Foreign population must tell equally or nearly so every

year.

Table X. gives the usual information regarding the work performed by the Inspector of Nuisances attached to this Department.

Table XI. shows the annual mean state of the atmosphere during the year 1863, as recorded at the Government Givil Hospital, which fally corroborates all that has been affirmed in reference to the severity of the past year,

L-THE POLICE.

J. I. MURRAY, M.D., Colonial Surgeon.

Tablz shewing the Admissions into Hospital and Deaths during the Year 1863.

EUROPEANS.

COLOUERD.

NOITE

Admissions Deaths.

TOTAL. TOTAL.

Admissions. Deaths, Admissions. Deaths. Admissions.

CHINESE.

Deaths

January,

11

February,

7

March, April,

8

11

May,

June, ***

18

Total,

120

265

828885888822 | 3

QP8888888888

17

6

12

1

397

19

But the daily average was 5331, of which number only 12 died.

An important improvement has been introduced in the manner of shackling prisoners sent out to work on the roads. Instead of the cumbersome double rod which formerly made the prisoner nearly useless as a laborer and rendered him ex- tremely able to ulcers and chases on the legs, a smalf ring and light chain have been substituted, which remove to a great

extent those inconveniencen.

IV. THE CONVICT HULK.

In the middle of June the ship Royal Saren, having been purchased and fitted up as a Convict Hulk by the Government, was moored between Stone Cutters' Island and the Mainland, and the Island declared a Convict Station.

280 convicts having been examined and pronounced fit for outdoor work were sent on board, and in the opinion of every qualified person who examined the excellent arrangements, these prisoners should have enjoyed a fair share of health.

The Hulk was visited daily by Mr. Richardson, the Surgeon appointed to perform that duty, and was inspected by me about once a fortnight.

Table XIII. appears to point to a result altogether unexpected; for out of a total of 384 prisoners received on board up to the 31st of December no less than 41 died of disease-being a death ratio of 10.67 per cent. But when we come to analyse this great mortality we find that 20 died of Cholera, and 6 of "Diarrhea connected with an epidemic of Cholera, which raged

July,

August

September,. October, November, December,...

113